🏀 Crown That King

Good morning, it's Thursday, 28 April

🔊 Sport Today Podcast

This morning, Sam Ferris and Lucy Watkin are at the mic.

Today's listen time: 9.45 minutes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify

📺 What we're watching

🏀 7.30pm - NBL Playoffs - United v JackJumpers - John Cain Arena, Melbourne - Foxtel, Kayo

🏉 7.50pm - NRL - Broncos v Sharks - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane - Channel 9, Foxtel, Kayo

⚽ 5.00am (Fri) - UEFA Europa League - West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt - London Stadium, London - Stan Sport

All times are in AEST

🏀 All hail the league's new king 

A new king has been crowned in the NBL as fans get excited for the playoffs to begin tonight.

Golden points: Bryce Cotton’s run as the Most Valuable Player in Australian basketball is over after 2 years, with Sydney Kings star Jaylen Adams winning the award last night.

• The former NBA player came to Australia this year and killed it. He averaged 20.1 points, 6.1 assists and 5.1 rebounds to help the Kings win 13 games in a row.

• He’s one of the main reasons why they finished 3rd and will face Illawarra in the first game of their series tomorrow night.

• But you don’t have to wait that long because the playoffs start tonight. Melbourne United host the Tasmania JackJumpers, who had Scott Roth named Coach of the Year.

Key click: Check out all the big winners from last night and see just how close the voting was.

Watch it: Settle in for a big night because the playoffs start at 7.30pm (AEST). You can watch United’s game against the JackJumpers on Foxtel or for free thanks to Kayo Freebies.

🏉 Port has plenty to crow about

If we’re talking about Bryce Courtenay's books then Port Adelaide is Fishing for Stars. But they have landed the big fish, and right now, Erin Phillips is The Power of One.

Golden points: The Power have signed Phillips ahead of their first season in the AFLW. It’s sure to set up a spicy Showdown when they play the Adelaide Crows who are sad to see her go.

• Phillips won 3 premierships with the Crows, 2 league best and fairest awards and 2 Grand Final best on ground medals. The list goes on.

• She should ace it for the Power, who are one of 4 new teams who will join the AFLW next season.

• This was a decision a lot of people saw coming because her dad, Greg, was a club legend for the Power. He played 343 games and won 8 comps for them.

What’s next: We’re still waiting to find out when the comp starts, but the Showdown is gonna be epic. Adelaide left a pretty classic tweet about the move that wouldn’t have been missed by the Power.

🏏 Michael Slater avoids time in prison 

Former Australian opening batter Michael Slater has avoided jail on mental health grounds.

Golden points: The 52yo was charged back in October last year for allegedly harassing, stalking and intimidating his ex-wife on Sydney’s northern beaches.

• Slater then allegedly broke an apprehended violence order when he sent her more than 50 texts and calls later that year.

• But the domestic violence case was dismissed by a magistrate who said Slater’s actions were caused by mental issues and that he’d shown a strong commitment to counselling.

• Slater has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, alcohol addiction, borderline personality disorder and ADHD.

What’s next: Slater didn’t appear in court yesterday because police and ambulance officials had taken him to a mental health unit on Tuesday night. He will spend at least the next 3 weeks there.

 🏉 Securing AFL rights is paramount for outgoing CEO

The current TV deal doesn’t expire until the end of 2024, but the big wigs at the AFL are already in the States negotiating.

Golden points: Nothing is set in stone at all, but there’s a report in the Age newspaper that Channel 10 and Paramount Plus will bid for every game.

• That would see an end to the deal with Channel 7 and Foxtel, which would mean no games on Fox for the first time since 2002.

• The AFL is expected to get around $946 million in revenue from the TV rights deal in 2023 and 2024, but a new arrangement with a company that has financial backing from CBS would mean a big bump in revenue.

• That’s important because the league needs to pay AFL and AFLW players who will want more money.

What’s next: AFL CEO Gillon McLachlan is meeting other streaming services like Amazon and YouTube. Foxtel will be keen to keep the rights because AFL is one of its most popular sports.

⚽ Goals galore in clash of the champions 

Don't you dare smash the snooze button when Real Madrid hosts Manchester City next week.

Golden points: You know you’re gonna get a good game when you’re down to the final 4 teams in the UEFA Champions League. This was no exception.

• Some of the world’s best footballers put on a show in Manchester, with the home side winning the first leg 4-3.

• But they’ll be upset they didn’t win by more because they led 2-0 after 12 minutes and also led 3-1 and 4-2.

• No lead is safe against the Spaniards, especially when Karim Benzema is on the field. He scored twice and now has 40 goals in all comps this season.

What’s next: Set the alarm for 5.00am (AEST) next Thursday for the 2nd leg. Remember, away goals don’t matter anymore, so may the best team win.

Watch it: Enjoy the highlights from this cracking contest.

👀 Quick singles

⚽ Liverpool is in a strong position to qualify for the UEFA Champions League final. They beat Villareal 2-0 at home this morning thanks to 2 goals in 2 minutes in the 2nd half.

⚽ Melbourne City is a chance to top their group in the Asian Champions League following a goalless draw against BG Pathum United last night. They have to win their final game on Sunday to have a chance of progressing to the next round.

🏉 The unbeaten Demons will be without their coach and 3 key players for their game against Hawthorn. The defending premiers are confident the players will be out of the COVID health and safety protocols in time for next week’s game.

🏁 Formula 1 bosses and the teams all thought there would be more sprint races next year. But that might not happen because the sport’s governing body won’t support the move until it’s done more research.

⚾ A dad in the States is the king of multitasking after he pulled off a stunning play at a baseball game. The man was bottle-feeding his baby with one hand, but that didn’t stop him from rising high to catch the ball with his other hand.

🏉 NSW Premier Dominic Perottet has laughed off Queensland’s bid to try to secure the NRL Grand Final. Sydney had signed a deal to host the game until 2042, but that deal reportedly fell through when the government decided to not refurbish the Olympic stadium in Homebush.

🏏 Ben Stokes has reportedly agreed to be England's new Test captain and he's bringing 2 greats back with him. Stokes is set to replace Joe Root as skipper and recall dropped fast bowlers Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad.

🙃 Left of field…

Nick Kyrgios isn’t even playing tennis right now but he’s found himself in another feud after what was supposed to be a lighthearted charity basketball game.

Golden points: We know Kyrgios loves basketball, and it turns out he is really good at it. He was sinking shots from everywhere during the NBL’s Celebrity All-Star game over the weekend and even blocked a shot by NSW Premier Dominic Perottet.

• The crowd loved it, but opposing coach and former NBL player Steve Carfino wasn’t a fan.

• He called Kyrgios a “jerk” and said he showed a lack of sportsmanship.

• Well, we know how this goes. Kyrgios returned serve on social media, calling Carfino a “potato”. Keep an eye on Instagram to see what happens next.

Watch it: Check out some of the big plays from the All-Star game, including THAT block.

📽 The highlight reel

Get ready to smash the replay button because Ja Morant has gone and done something absurd in the NBA playoffs. The stud scored 30 points, had 13 rebounds, 9 assists, and hit the winning shot for Memphis. Oh, and he threw down the dunk of the year.

📸 Photo finish

It really is good to have crowds back at sport. Here are the Liverpool fans marching to Anfield for the Champions League semi-final.

🏃‍♀️ The finish line

🏆 Today's trivia answer

Looks like 13 was pretty lucky for Phillips.